Officially an Expat

You know you are no longer a tourist when the highlight of a trip to a neighboring country is a night of margaritas at the Mexican restaurant. Yes, it's true. Bob and I spent a very romantic Valentine's Day tossing back pitchers of Hungarian margaritas with 4 of our closest friends and I have to say, it might be one of my favorite V-days yet (sorry, honey). Iguana is a well-known destination for expats looking for food and drink resembling tex-mex. We've heard rumor that some will make the four hour drive from Belgrade just for a meal and head back down. I remain skeptical that this feat would be possible given the temptation to accompany the meal with several margaritas which, I believe, are required to make the food taste more tex-mexican.

Speaking of the drive, the trip between Belgrade and Budapest is a surprisingly easy 4-hour drive up a 2 lane highway (passing skills are required). It's a much nicer road once you cross the border into Hungary but, considering the locale, it's really quite an uneventful trip. The landscape and road reminded me of driving through Pennsylvania. Lots of fields dotted with trees. You even get a nice crossing over the Danube that reminds me of driving over the Susquehanna.

Being entirely unprepared for this trip, we did not have a plan for what to see or where to go in Budapest. Luckily, our companions had a book -- and we can easily return. Compared to Belgrade, Budapest is a nice respite with lots of pretty things to look at and cleaner air to breathe. We did manage to take in a few churches and a museum or two. More importantly, we made it to "Our Personal Labyrinth" under the Buda Castle district. Surely, one of the more bizarre sights I've seen. Having heard that it was a series of caves used for various things over the years from shelters for prehistorical hunters to Cold War military installations, we were in museum mode. Once you adjust your expectations, it's sort of fun.

It's a nice feeling to have gotten our feet under us. Even better, our car was delivered yesterday. Once the snow finishes melting we can begin to explore the Serbian countryside and see what treasures it holds. I'm not expecting margaritas.